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John and Charles Francis collection, 1869-ca. 1905

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Summary

Creator:
Francis, John M. (John Morgan), 1823-1897 and Francis, Charles Spencer, 1853-1911
Abstract:
This collection consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, a published memorial volume, and a photograph album related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles. The letters, which are addressed to Charles Francis, express sympathy following his father's death in June 1897; the memorial volume contains biographical sketches and published tributes to John M. Francis; and the newspaper scrapbooks chronicle John M. Francis's travels around Europe and the world between 1869 and 1876.
Extent:
1 linear foot
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Clements Staff, September 1997, and Meg Hixon, April 2012

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection (1 linear foot) consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, and a published memorial volume related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles.

The Condolence Letters series contains 211 items addressed to Charles S. Francis between June 5, 1897, and January 18, 1898. One letter from Hallie M. Brown concerns her regret about missing an opportunity to visit, and the remaining correspondence is made up of letters expressing the authors' condolences after the death of John M. Francis on June 18, 1897. Writers included Charles Francis's friends and family members and John Francis's personal and professional acquaintances. Many writers reminisced about their relationships with John M. Francis and shared stories about their experiences at the Troy Daily Times.

The Letter Book, Scrapbooks, and Published Memorial series (6 volumes) pertains to John M. Francis's travels around the United States, Europe, and Asia in the 1870s and to Charles S. Francis's career and business affairs. Four scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings of letters that John M. Francis sent to the Troy Daily Times while traveling abroad. Each contains lengthy descriptions of local people, customs, politics, architecture, geography, and history, and some also have accounts of transoceanic and transcontinental travel.

Journeys:
  • Western Europe, June 12, 1869-October 15, 1869, including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France (21 letters; 38 pages)
  • Western and Southern Europe, July 18, 1871-December 28, 1871 (published August 2, 1871-January 3, 1872), including England, Wales, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic and Austria), Italy, and Greece (20 letters; 28 pages)
  • Around the world, July 5, 1875-June 6, 1876, including the western United States, Japan, China, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and France (2 volumes containing duplicate clippings, 115 pages and 71 pages)

The letter book (282 pages), which belonged to Charles S. Francis, has retained copies of his outgoing correspondence from October 25, 1897-July 29, 1901. The letters pertain to personal and business affairs, such as Francis's editorial work for the Troy Daily Times and land he owned in Mississippi. Several newspaper clippings relate to Francis's appointment as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and "Servia."

The published memorial (125 pages), entitled In Memoriam: John M. Francis, March 6, 1823-June 18, 1897, contains an engraved portrait, a brief biographical sketch, reminiscences, essays, poetry, and reprinted newspaper obituaries commemorating the life and death of John M. Francis.

The Photograph Album (ca. 1905?) contains 14 images of a new automobile, family members, and pets (possibly in New York state); and 144 vacation photographs showing landscapes, buildings, and persons in Europe. The photos are not labeled or identified, but appear to show Switzerland or Austrian lake districts, as well as urban environments. The photographer captured many of these images with a panoramic camera.

Biographical / Historical:

John Morgan Francis was born in Prattsburgh, New York, on March 6, 1823. After leaving home in 1838, he worked for several newspapers in Canandaigua, New York, and in 1846 he moved to Troy, New York, where he was chief editor of the Northern Budget. On June 25, 1851, he founded the Troy Daily Times. A Republican, he served as a member of two New York State constitutional conventions (1867-1868; 1894), as United States Minister to Greece (1871-ca. 1875), as Minister to Portugal, and as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary (1884-1885). On December 8, 1846, he married Harriet E. Tucker of Palmyra, New York (d. 1889); they had two children, Alice and Charles S. John M. Francis died on June 18, 1897.

Alice Francis married John C. Havemeyer (1833-June 8, 1922) of Yonkers, New York. Charles Spencer Francis (June 17, 1853-December 1, 1911) graduated from Cornell University in 1877 and lived in Troy, where he worked for his father's newspaper. He gained ownership of the Troy Daily Times upon his father's death in 1897. His diplomatic career included appointments as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and "Servia" (1900-1902) and as ambassador to Austria-Hungary (1906-1910). He married Alice Evans in 1878.

Acquisition Information:
1997. M-3362 .
Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in the following series:
  • Series I: Condolence Letters
  • Series II: Letter Book, Scrapbooks, and Published Memorial
  • Series III: Photograph Album

The condolence letters are arranged chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

John and Charles Francis Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

John and Charles Francis collection, 1869-ca. 1905
Total components 11
Last indexed 2025-02-09